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The Foundations of Cognitive Linguistics

A Story of Collaborative Research: A Journey hand in hand with Prof. George Lakoff

  • Eusebio V. Llácer Llorca ORCID logo EMAIL logo

Abstract

In this paper we will take a journey back in time and up to our days through the historical development of Cognitive Linguistics, especially but not only in the United States. In this journey we will show the most essential steps taken by several researchers who have contributed from diverse disciplines, not only Linguistics but also Psychology, Neuroscience, Computer Science or Mathematics, to the fruitful evolution of Cognitive Linguistics in the last fifty years. From Chomsky’s and Propp’s theories to the Neural Theory of Metaphor we will travel by the hand of Prof. George Lakoff, probably one of the most important American scholars who has devoted his academic life to the intensive and extensive research of this vast and attractive knowledge area.

Resumen

En este artículo realizaremos un viaje en el tiempo y hasta nuestros días a través del desarrollo histórico de la lingüística cognitiva, especialmente, pero no solo en los Estados Unidos. En nuestro viaje mostraremos los pasos esenciales seguidos por varios investigadores que han contribuido desde distintas disciplinas, no únicamente la lingüística sino también la psicología, las neurociencias, la informática y las ciencias de la computación o las matemáticas, a la fructífera evolución de la lingüística cognitiva en los últimos cincuenta años. Desde las teorías de Chomsky y de Propp a la teoría neuronal de la metáfora, viajaremos de la mano del Prof. George Lakoff, uno de los más importantes estudiosos estadounidenses que ha dedicado su vida académica a la investigación intensiva y extensiva de esta amplia y atractiva área de conocimiento.

Zusammenfassung

Mit diesem Beitrag unternehmen wir eine Zeitreise durch die historische Entwicklung der kognitiven Linguistik bis zur Gegenwart, vor allem, aber nicht nur mit Blick auf die USA. Dabei konzentrieren wir uns auf die wichtigsten Schritte, mit denen die Forschung aus unterschiedlichen Disziplinen, – nicht nur aus der Linguistik, sondern auch aus der Psychologie, aus den Neurowissenschaften, der Informatik und Mathematik, – in den letzten fünfzig Jahren die fruchtbare Entwicklung der kognitiven Linguistik vorangetrieben hat. Ausgehend von Chomsky’s und Propps Ansätzen zu einer neuronalen Theorie der Metapher reisen wir unter der Leitung von Prof. Dr. George Lakoff, wahrscheinlich einer der wichtigsten amerikanischen Gelehrten, der sein akademisches Leben der intensiven und extensiven Forschung zu dem weiten und attraktiven Gebiet der kognitiven Linguistik, insbesondere der Erforschung von Metaphern gewidmet hat.

Acknowledgement

This interview has been possible thanks to the postdoctoral aid granted by the Vicerrectorado de Investigación y Política Científica of the Universitat de València within the subprogram ‘Attraction of Talent’, and in the framework agreement signed by the University of California, Berkeley, the Andalusia-Tech and the VLC-Campus (Universidad Politécnica de Valencia and Universitat de València).

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Note

The author is a member of SILVA - Group of Support for Investigation in Language Variation Analysis. The SILVA Group is a multidisciplinary team of scholars based in the Universitat de València (UV), the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (UPV), and the Universidad de Alicante (UA).


Published Online: 2015-7-11
Published in Print: 2015-9-1

© 2015 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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